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This statement is from Kim Solga, one of the seven endorsement committee members who evaluated and recommended a candidate in the Indivisible Shasta endorsement process.

I became active in the Indivisible movement a year ago because it is a non-partisan effort to resist the democracy-killing, oligarchic agenda of the Trump administration. The folks in Indivisible are moderates and progressives of many different views. We work together to defeat this regressive threat to our country and our planet.

The core of the Indivisible movement is that each local group focus on the actions of our own Congressional representatives. For us in Siskiyou County, this means Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and our District 1 Representative Doug LaMalfa. Feinstein and Harris already seriously oppose the far right GOP bloc in the Senate. We thank them and do what we can to support their work. But LaMalfa is a deep Trump supporter, and steadily rubber-stamps his approval on every repressive action that comes before him.

Voting LaMalfa out of office is clearly the single most effective thing we can do to resist the Trump Agenda.

Therefore as I agreed to help Indivisible Shasta select a candidate to endorse and support, I tackled my evaluation from one specific point of view. Who can beat LaMalfa in the November General Election? Who will appeal to the widest range of voters?

It does not matter to me if the candidate agreed with my personal stands on issues. All of the five candidates are reasonable people. Any of them would be a fabulous replacement for arch-conservative LaMalfa.

So which of the candidates (DeMocrats and Green Party) would be able to bring together the diverse coalition of voters that will be needed to unseat an incumbent Republican in District 1? Would it be Audrey Denney, a passionate young millennial with a strong backing among the Chico student community? Would it be Jessica Holcombe, a powerful young lawyer from Auburn funded with personal wealth and out of district financial support? Or Lewis Elbinger, a dedicated “Berniecrat” Green Party intellectual, or Larry Jordan from his Mt. Shasta ranch? Or could the most electable candidate be Marty Walters, a hard-working activist from Quincy who has been building a grassroots campaign throughout the District for nearly a year.

I chose Walters:

her progressive (even libertarian) approach to issues will appeal to a wide variety of District 1 voters – from traditional Democrats, to independents, even to moderate Republicans and the 40% of eligible voters who are not yet voting in elections.

her approach allows her to reach beyond the traditional Democratic base while maintaining progressive values

she has vast experience in the real world of business, activism, raising a family in District 1 since 2004

her energy, personality, and common sense are appealing

she shows a willingness to meet with and listen to constituents face to face

she has clear speaking skills…no rhetoric, no evasions. She tells the truth and holds her values in a way that includes other views and opinions.

her grassroots organization ability

her pledge to fund her campaign through individual donations and her commitment to get corporate money out of politics

her potential to work in a bipartisan manner

she demonstrates knowledge of all the important issues here in District 1, not just a few major speaking points. She has clearly done her homework.

the fact that she has concrete ideas about improving our rural economy, about water issues and infrastructure, about healthcare and education, allows her to run a positive campaign…not merely a reactive campaign against the status quo.

she is part of the groundswell movement of strong women candidates entering politics in 2018

These are the criteria for electability that the Indivisible Shasta members had specified were most important to them (and a few more of my own).

The seven member endorsement committee was unanimous in the selection of Marty Walters as the strongest candidate in the race. Indivisible Shasta will support Walters in the June primary, and hope she gets the votes then to make it onto the final ballot against LaMalfa in November. It is time for LaMalfa to go!

Thanks for your input and help

Our mission was to endorse the most electable candidate who is running in the upcoming June Open Primary to earn a chance to run against Doug LaMalfa in the November 2018 General Election.

California’s open primary system is really confusing. Here’s a brief explanation.

In 2010, Californians passed a proposition to throw out our party primaries, and toss everyone into the same open primary. Everyone from all parties are listed on the same ballot, and all voters of any party get that ballot listing all candidates. The top 2 vote getters move onto the general election even if the top one gets more than 51% of the total!

“Who voted for THAT?!” you might be asking. Well, 54% of voters in that midterm election which drew about 34% of eligible voters.

Why did Indivisible Shasta decide to endorse a candidate for this jungle primary?

At this point, four Democrats, one Green and one Republican have declared their candidacy PLUS LaMalfa, who’s considered a shoe-in in this red district.

We wanted to help our members to sort this out by evaluating the non-Republican candidates based on their electability. The important thing is to pick the candidate in the upcoming primary with the best chance to beat LaMalfa! We also could imagine the 5 progressive candidates splitting the vote so that the 2 Republicans would end up in the general election. Yikes!!

Marty at the Mt. Shasta Women’s March this year.

We asked you to tell us how important each of the electability qualities were to you, and using those responses and our research of the candidates’ strengths, we chose Marty Walters.

This was not an easy decision. We have an amazingly strong field of candidates to choose from. They share many of the same positions on issues important to our district. Marty stood out for us because of her energy, her experience, her practical solutions, her willingness to talk to anyone and everyone in the district, and her commitment to run this campaign from the grassroots, without a bundle of outside and corporate money.

We’ll be helping Marty build her Siskiyou County grassroots campaign, and will collaborate with the grassroots efforts of all the other areas. We hope you’ll go to Marty’s website and sign up to help: http://www.martywalters.com/volunteer.html Everyone has something to contribute, be it a little or a lot.

Together we can become the Republicans worst nightmare and turn their safe red district blue.

Indivisible Shasta will be endorsing, then actively supporting, one of the five candidates running against District 1 Representative LaMalfa in the June 2018 Primary.

In our group process to select the most electable candidate…the one most likely to successfully oust LaMalfa in the November 2018 General Election…we sought the help of all involved Indivisible Shasta followers. A short survey was sent on January 22 asking what criteria for electability is most important. Our endorsement committee will then use these measures to select our endorsed candidate.

We thank all the folks who take the time to fill out this survey! Please watch for our endorsement after we complete the evaluation process.

Survey Results based on 40 replies received by January 27

Questions 1 through 9 called for a rating of importance on a sliding scale, with 100% being the highest importance, 1% being the lowest. The figures below show the average of the 40 results:

1. The candidate must have lived and worked in my district for 5 years or more. 49%
2. The candidate must have a history of volunteering or holding office in my district. 45%
3. The candidate must know and understand my district’s issues and problems. 75%
4. Regarding the candidate’s stand on the issues, it is important to me that (choose one or the other):
The candidate should agree with me on all my main issues and concerns. 10.26%
The candidate’s stand on issues must appeal to a broad coalition of voters. 89.74%
5. The candidate must have a strong spiritual or religious base. 14%
6. It is important to me to know where the candidate gets his or her campaign funding. 68%
7. The candidate must be a compelling public speaker. 64%
8. The candidate must inspire grassroots volunteer support. 68%

Question 9. asked if there was a criteria for electability that was not listed on this survey. Answers to this question included:

Honesty and credibility
Someone who has a strong and ethical character
Groups that support this candidate
Is the candidate able to draw independent voters
Not Pro-Life, pro Protection Abortion, Environment , National Parks Protection, Protection SS and Medicare
A woman’s right to choose.
Being able to cross the aisle and work with the Red
The ability to reach beyond the traditional Democratic base while maintaining progressive values
Broad base of experience, real solutions, appeal to moderate republicans as well as democrats
Proven ability to bring opposing sides together and reach agreement.
Passionate about issues
Able to work in a bipartisan manner, not beholden to the “democratic base”
avoid saying “we won’t let the Bay Area tell us what to do” A lot of people here from there still aligned/connected with SF etc. Be willing to LISTEN to what locals think and why.
Voters in the middle will determine the outcome, candidates must understand and connect with moderate voters
Integrity – their actions should reflect their stated values.
Knows the people
They are comfortable with diversity ..social, economic, race, religion, gender, etc.
Clear speaking and not given to too much rhetoric
Support of Rural Platform
Willingness to meet with and listen to constituents face to face
Clean air, food, and water. Conservation. M. class $
Strong opposition to Trump; financial knowledge; not corrupt; support for the environment and public lands
Appreciation and understanding of the importance of maintaining the nature around us!

Question 10 asked which candidate, if any, they currently support. The results of the 40 surveys were:

It’s all about fear.

And it’s time to turn FEAR into ACTION to stop Trumpcare for good, the necessary first step on the path to single payer… Read more to learn why your continuing actions NOW are vital.

Fear is a powerful motivator, and in 2010 when Obamacare was passed, fear of the unknown plus the dire warnings from conservative pundits had people really whipped up. Remember the “death panel” prediction? Of course we didn’t want the government killing our elders!! DOWN WITH OBAMACARE!! And people called their congressman.

Now, the numbers have changed, and most people really like the coverage and protections they have under the ACA. They FEAR the Republicans’ plan that undermines Medicaid, coverage for pre-existing conditions and promises higher out-of-pocket costs. This time, the predicted change is coming from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) not conservative talk radio, so we all should be really afraid.

The ACA got us halfway to where we want to be…

For many of us, the ACA got us half way to where we’d like our country’s healthcare system to be. Back in 2009-10, ‘single payer” was a dirty word, shouted by a few and never used by those framing the ACA for fear that they would upset even moderate Dems.

Now, nobody is shushing! And all of us need to work our butts off to save the ACA, our halfway point to single payer.

Incremental change is not as fearful as revolutionary change. People who feared Obamacare and called their congressman are now FEARFUL of the AHCA because of what they will lose.

AND their more ready for something even better to get their premiums down and eliminate high co-pays, all of which are not part of the AHCA as the CBO has shown.

Remember back in 2009 when we were excited about a “public option” being part of the exchanges? Remember why it was eliminated? (short answer: because Repubs and moderate Dems were hearing from their insurance company donors who were FEARFUL that it would put them out of business.)

Could a public option be the answer?

Well, now those insurance company buddies are pulling out of unprofitable exchanges, leaving some states with no competition and high premiums. Could a public option be the answer there? Would it give single payer a toe hold that could be expanded? DOES THIS MAKE FIGHTING FOR THE ACA AND AGAINST THE AHCA a good battle for all Democrats and progressives??

So we have a job to do. All of us. First, let’s work together to turn fear into action in our district.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. Look at the figures in the last post at Facebook/indivisibleshasta and write your own personal concerns using something you learned from those statistics.

ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO TAKE ACTION; I recently heard a commentator equate this fight against the AHCA as the ”crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge” of our time. Some of us are old enough to wish we had had the guts and where with-all to have joined that civil rights landmark action. Now, we all have another Pettus Bridge opportunity, and the risk to life and limb is a future result, not an immediate likely outcome.

GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS. We have a congressional seat to take back as part of a real effort to fix the ACA and move us closer to a national single-payer system.

KEEP FLOODING LAMALFA’S OFFICE WITH CALLS AND EMAILS, and let others know how he responds. “LAMALFA DOESN’T LISTEN” needs to be clearly demonstrated as we work to unseat him.

Join us for some fun Resistance activities hosted by Indivisible Shasta on Monday June 5th, 6:30 pm at Upper Lodge, Mt. Shasta City Park. Bring friends and family for an evening of learning from others and sharing your own action skills. Get silly or get serious.

Get your photo taken with our new and improved substitute Congressman, then turn that photo into a postcard expressing your opinions and mail it to Doug LaMalfa. We’ll help you video a message using your own smartphone. Discover a new app for sending video messages to your members of Congress. Share “phone a Member of Congress” techniques and learn how important personal phonecalls are. Learn how to write and send a letter to the editor to inspire and inform others, and find new ways to turn your social media time into a more effective resistance tool. It’s an evening guaranteed to boost your spirits! Everyone welcome!

Join us and have a little fun with others who are also working hard to resist the Trump/Pence/Ryan agenda.

This past week, the national social media site set up for Indivisible group leaders has been buzzing with discussion about whether Democrats should slow down their impeachment talk.

Looking at all the facts, I tend to agree. Here’s why:

In an article In These Times, The Impeachment Trap: Be Careful What you Wish For, Jeff Alson reminds us “If Trump were impeached and convicted, Vice President Mike Pence, a right-wing, evangelical ideologue, would be a much more reliable and competent rubber stamp for the conservative policy agenda.” In the New York Times article, “Do We Really Want Mike Pence to Be President,” his political creds confirm that he was chosen as Trump’s VEEP because he would never upstage his gold-plated Pres.

I’m mad as hell and so are you, I expect. We’ve seen the Obama policies and thoughtful diplomacy shredded. The military has been turned loose to do whatever it deems necessary. Key federal departments are being run by incompetents, with many vital positions left unfilled. Trump seems to be able to say and do whatever he wants with no consequences. I want him gone!

And then I look hard and long at what we would get for Democratic efforts to spearhead impeachment. Alson has outlined a depressing scenario where everything we hate about the Republican agenda continues on steroids, and the public, sick and weary of the drama of Trump’s tumultuous presidency rewards the Republicans in 2018. Angry Trump supporters blame Dems for bringing their hero down and augment Republican efforts and Pence runs as an incumbent savior in 2020.

What is our alternative?

We are organized. We are part of a massive groundswell of support for economic opportunity for all. Our goals for people and for the Earth would not be better served by a Pence administration buttressed by a re-energized Republican Party.

A Republican lead impeachment proceeding means they own the whole mess. And at some point, the overwhelming evidence with make it impossible to do otherwise.

They would bear the brunt of Trump supporter rage. They would limp through the next few years with a progressive juggernaut minding their every move. Yes, Pence would probably become President, but the most he could expect to accomplish would be to keep the nuclear codes safe.

Yes, Trump deserves to be impeached…lead by the party who allowed him to become their standard bearer.

We resistors have much to do. We must resist the Trump/Pence/Ryan/LaMalfa agenda at every turn. The hard work of resistance is lonely and time consuming. It involves making phone calls where you actually dial the number over and over until you reach a live staff person. It means writing personal emails and mailing handwritten post cards. It means submitting thoughtful letters to the editor for your local newspaper. It means quietly educating friends who need help to become effective activists. It means having thoughtful discussions with people of differing political views. And, it means having fun once in a while with other resistors – join us on June 5th for just such an occasion.

We must mobilize for the future. Becoming involved with with things like voter registration drives, and assisting the local Democratic Party to build an effective grassroots, precinct-level structure to educate and mobilize voters to prepare for 2018 and 2020.

It will take years to recover from the Trump disaster, but we Californians know it can be done. Look how our own state as been turned around in a few short years. We’re not perfect, but we’re certainly better. We are an example of how progressive leaders and commitment to working for the people can lead to a remarkable turnaround.

It’s been another week for the record books,

Two weeks we saw the firing of FBI Director James Comey who was heading the most comprehensive investigation into the Russian/Trump collusion and hacking of our election.

Just when we thought nothing worse could happen, we learned about Trump’s “visit” with the Russian Ambassador and Foreign Minister, in the Oval Office, “because Putin asked me to” explained Trump. A visit that included divulging highly classified information that hadn’t even been shared with our allies.

Still following me here…

Then, it comes to light that Trump had asked Comey, during his White House visit in January to drop the investigation of General Flynn!!

AND we learn of even more communication between the Trump campaign and Russia. All while 13 white guys continue to try to make the House Healthcare Horror more palatable. AND Pence continues to extort, “I didn’t know, I didn’t know, I didn’t know. AND Ryan counsels, Shhhhh….

How can we have any impact?

We look at the erosion of so much that we rely on in our democratic system and think, “How can we deal with this threat to everything we trust about our American way of life and system of government?

Well, the threat is not all that “new.” What’s new is the “Brash new activism.” You and the peaceful resistance you are a part of is new.

In 1944, The New York Times asked the sitting Vice President, Henry Wallace, “to write an article about whether there are fascists in America, and what they’re up to.”

On May 12th, Wallace’s grandson, Henry Holly Wallace wrote an Op-Ed in The Times that quotes the Vice President’s article and notes how it applies to the Trump administration. “American Fascism, in 1944 and Today”

Read to the end and take heart.

Sitting alone in your home, making phone calls and writing emails to your Members of Congress, and attending a peaceful rally or participating in a congressional office visit when you can, seems too tame to resist Trump’s threat to our citizens, our nation and, considering climate change, the world.

But you are not alone. You are part of a huge national movement.

The weekly actions we post are the same actions being disseminated to people all over this country. Meetings and rallies are happening in towns large and small. Every Member of Congress is being deluged with resistance calls and praised when they stand up to the Trump agenda.

You are part of the Brash New Activism.

Trump has activated a new commitment to inclusive activism. We are resistors now, and when we succeed we will continue our activism in pursuit of “a more perfect union.”

Do you need help?

If you’re one of many new resistors who are a little unsure about how to make a call to a Member of Congress, let us know and we’ll pair you with an experienced personal calling partner to learn the ropes. You’ll learn what to expect when you call, how to prepare, and what to say. It’s one on one, private and personal. Email us at indivisibleshasta@gmail.com.

AND… Put June 5th on your calendar. Join us for an “Evening of Action. Resistance Can be Fun!” Mt. Shasta City Park Upper Lodge, 6:30pm. More to come…

It’s a significant win for Democrats, regardless of the spin you’ve heard from Trump.

Now for the bad news….

Trumpcare narrowly passed in the House on Thursday.

The bill has a long way to go before it becomes law, and we will fight it every step of the way. Want to know more about what’s ahead? Check our Healthcare information Pageoften for the latest updates.

“I’m angry right now, and I want to do something!!” you say. We hear you. We’re angry and disappointed too. The best thing any of us can do right now is to keep the pressure on LaMalfa. If Senators see a national outpouring of outrage aimed at Republican Congressmen, they will be less likely to risk passing this travesty in the Senate. Call LaMalfa’s office and tell him what you are afraid of losing because of this bill.

To find out where you are likely to be impacted go to “The 10 Worst Things About TrumpCare.” You’ll see all the ways you are likely to be affected even if you aren’t insured through Medicaid or the exchanges.

And finally…We urge you to take a good long walk in a beautiful place this weekend. Call someone you love and talk about something besides politics. Realize that to sustain our efforts over the long haul, we need to take very good care of ourselves and each other.

Watch for this next week’s actions beginning on Monday morning. Help us by sharing this post with friends, and urging them to sign up for our newsletter updates and follow us on Facebook.

This is your weekly update from the Indivisible Shasta Steering Committee….

No vote on Repeal and Replace happened Friday. Speaker Ryan still doesn’t have the votes he needs to pass it. But he’s twisting arms, and a vote could happen next week. The LA Times reports that LaMalfa is still undecided. Don’t count on that!

Let me stress how vital it is for you to CONTINUE to call Congressman LaMalfa’s office (202) 225-3076 and tell his staff emphatically that you want him to vote NO on the latest Trumpcare bill.

Here’s why your call is so important.

LaMalfa knows that we, his constituents, are protected from the worst provisions of this bill because we live in California. The latest iteration leaves many of the most popular parts of the ACA in place BUT it allows THE STATES to cherry pick and eliminate Essential Services they deem “unnecessary.” Things like maternity coverage, contraceptives, even office visits are threatened.

LaMalfa knows it’s safe for him to keep his 100% record of support for Trump and vote “YES,”because California will work hard to retain these important services as part their insurance coverage requirements.

But Republican controlled states will eagerly strip out even the most necessary services and declare victory because coverage costs will go down. Red State citizens will be able to get cheap insurance that doesn’t cover things that they really need, and the Republicans will declare victory, because it’s cheap!

There are parts of this new bill that will affect you, that being a California resident can’t protect you from. Medicaid expansion, that is vital to rural hospitals is threatened. Coverage for pre-existing conditions gets complicated, with possible pools and formulas that will make coverage unaffordable for the people who need constant medical care to stay alive!

Know anyone with Type 2 diabetes? Cancer? Chronic disease of any kind that lives in a Red State. Call LaMalfa on their behalf as well as yours.

Here’s what we’re up against.

LaMalfa has been tracking calls for and against the ACA since he took office 6 years ago. Remember how unpopular Obamacare used to be? Angry Republicans believed all the lies Fox News fed them about the ACA and they called.

Now that people, even Republicans, are seeing what they’ll lose with Repeal and Replace, the ACA is becoming very popular.

But we have years of angry, misinformed repeal Obamacare calls we have to match.

Your Indivisible Shasta Steering Committee was out in force at the LaMalfa Town Hall, and we saw many of you there as well. We have lots to report, both to fill you in on what Congressman LaMalfa said, and what Indivisible Shasta accomplished this week.

What we heard from Congressman LaMalfa that you should know.

When asked if he would vote to go to war with North Korea, he was measured, saying that he would have to carefully study the issue to determine the impact on US citizens, the military and our allies.

I can’t blame him for that. It’s a terrifically complicated issue that certainly deserves careful study. Hopefully we won’t see any more unilateral actions from Trump.

We’ll be watching for this to come before Congress to give you a chance to study the issues and weigh in too.

The Congressman drew the most ire from his audience when he responded to a question about climate change by stating that he essentially didn’t believe that it was human caused. Wow! Uproar! Perhaps this is one of those issues that needs a little more of his “careful study.”

And then there’s Trump…

Trump first 100 days are up next week and he needs SOMETHING to boast about that he doesn’t have to make up. He’s leaning hard on the Congress to re-open Health Care Repeal and Replace.

I hope Congressman LaMalfa remembers how many irate phone calls he received from us. I hope he has burned into his memory the impassioned stories he heard during his town halls this recess, from people whose lives will be ruined by the horrific health care compromise about to be jammed through Congress.

AND, Trump is insisting that Congress throw out the bipartisan work they’ve done over the past few weeks to pass the last year’s Omnibus budget bill, and to add money for his Wall and for his draconian immigration enforcement efforts.

Democrats and moderate Republicans will not accept these additions, which may lead to a government shutdown on April 28th. LaMalfa will need to hear from us. The Wall, and immigration enforcement funding should be part of next year’s budget. We’llbe fighting it both now and then.

What Indivisible Shasta has accomplished this week:

On Wednesday, we passed out a handout to nearly every person in line for the Town Hall meeting, that included information about Indivisible, and questions we hoped would be answered by LaMalfa. Click to see the “Town Hall Questions from Indivisible Shasta.”

More than that, we engaged with many of these people talking about their worries and concerns and the Indivisible mission to stop the Trump agenda. Many who had never heard about Indivisible took the handout.

We talked to the press. News stories included information about Indivisible, from conservative ag related Jefferson Journal, to KRCR channel 7 news, and a local public radio station. An article that will appear next week in our own local newspaper talks about the town hall with quotes from local resistors.

We continue to plan for future events and activities. Look for an Indivisible Shasta meeting in May, and issues-focused visits to LaMalfa’s Redding office beginning soon.

Look for ACTION EMAILS. or check out ACTION CALLS on our Facebook page, and start up your calls. Our MoCs are back in Washington.

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